No, red dye 3 and red dye 40 are not the same. Red dye 40, made of a chemical compound called Allura red AC, is already banned in California, and is among the dyes that the FDA plans to eliminate, according to the April 22 statement.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services will work toward eliminating more than half a dozen common dyes from the U.S. food supply.

That’s why I was immediately skeptical when the Food and Drug Administration announced its decision to ban synthetic food dyes like the controversial red dye No. 3. I’m not defending artificial dyes.